In the current system deleting existing customer if they do not wish to be a member anymore involves searching through customer membership forms manually, still carrying the problems stated above. The membership form will then have to be discarded permanently and if the customer chooses to reapply a form will have to be filed out again. The solution will make this process less stressful and time consuming. The user will simply need to locate the customer and press the “delete customer” button, removing the individual from the current customers list and automatically archiving them. Archiving a customer is an extremely useful tool to have as it allows the customers data to be stored in a past customers list and if a customer decides to return there details can quickly be transferred to the current customers list again. In an emergency, if the manager needs to contact a deleted customer he will have the ability to do so.
As all data currently is stored on paper it is difficult to make changes to information and keeping the quality of the presentation high. Usually amended data tends to become unreadable or leads to employees having to fill out another form as the information becomes too messy. This is an unnecessary process for a task that should be really simple. In my solution this task is extremely simple and quick. The user will have to bring up the form for the data that needs to be changed, whether it is information on customers, DVDs or rentals and then make the change to the form and save it. The changes will then reflect onto the current customer list, current DVD list or rental list automatically. This is all done within a short period of time, still maintaining a high level of presentation.
Every month Mr. Bradshaw participates in a task of choosing 25 DVDs to return back to choice uk in exchange for another 25 DVDs. This procedure usually involves Mr. Bradshaw having to recall on his own knowledge of whether a DVD is popular or not. This is not a reliable method of deciding what DVDs should be returned. In the solution i will implement a query which stores the number of times a DVD has been rented. This information can be accessed for that current month generating the 25 least rented DVDs. This data can then be used to select what DVDs should be sent back, making the task of selecting the right DVDs for exchange more efficient, reliable and quick.
Mr Bradshaw’s current method for keeping track of rentals involves constantly referring back to the rental list and monitoring the due dates. This task is very repetitive and has become stressful. Customers tend to vary the number of days they want to rent a DVD out, this means due dates can be difficult to locate on the rental form. The solution eliminates the stressfulness of the task because a query will be designed that will produce a list of rentals that are due on the current day or any another specific date. The rentals that return from the query will have information of the DVD and which member rented it out. When an employee has a list of DVDs that need to be returned, they will be able to use this information to prepare for rentals and could implement a feature into their business which notifies members that they need to return DVDs. As JenJams only have one of each DVD it is important that DVDs are returned on their due dates, this will in turn sustain customer satisfaction and may increase revenue. A query that notifies you of overdue DVDs will also be included into the database. This query will produce the information on the customer and there contact details, what DVD is in their possession and how many days they are overdue by.
The new system also aims to reduce manual calculations and will automatically fill certain sections on forms. The form filling process currently consists of sections that repeatedly require information that may be the same for other rentals. Filling in simple information such as dates over and over again can become annoying and takes up an unnecessary amount of time. With small features that eradicate these little processes, form filling can become faster and more pleasant. The solution will in certain areas automatically fill in rented dates, complete contact information on rental forms by entering the customer id number or by searching the customer from a combo box, automatically calculate rental return dates when the user has entered the number of days a member wants to rent a DVD out and automatically generate the fee a customer owes on a standard rental. The database will also be able to calculate and add overdue fees to rentals. All in all these small process add up to a large time consumption which will be reduced. The possibility of entering incorrect data and calculating sums is massively decreased with these implementations.
In certain cases it can be easier to deal with a report if they have been printed and the information is in your hands for you to personally analyse. If a user wants to compare a report to another It is difficult to view multiple forms on one screen. This is why my client has requested to add a printing function to the database. The user will obtain the ability to print reports for overdue DVDs, members and their details, current and past rentals and a list of overdue DVDs. JenJams doesn’t have access to the internet, so tasks such as e-mail are not possible. In a case where the manager is unable to personally be at the shop but requires information, it can be printed and sent to him. With the case of overdue DVDs there needs to be protocols in place to notify customers that are overdue. The database will allow employees to print letters notifying a customer that they are overdue and the DVD in their possession must be returned immediately.
I have generated a list of features i will include into the proposed system which derive from further analyse of the current system. The database must be able to;
- Add and edit DVD details in the system
- Add and edit Member details
- Add and edit Rentals details
- Search through database for specific DVD and its details
- Search through database to find details on members
- Search through database to find details on rentals
- Archive records of a member when they have left
- See how many times a DVD has been rented during a certain time period
- Keep track of rentals and due dates
- Calculate rental and overdue prices automatically
- Generate and print reports for overdue DVDs
- Generate and print reports of members and their details
- Generate and print reports of current and past rentals
- Generate and print a letter to send to customers that are overdue on DVD returns
